Sikkim Has The Best Working Conditions For Women, Delhi’s The Worst: New Report

The northeastern state of Sikkim has been accredited of having the best working conditions for women, while the national capital Delhi ranked lowest, according to a report.

The report released jointly by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think-tank, and Nathan Associates, gave Sikkim 40 points while Delhi received just 8.5. This is a clear reflection of the state of affairs in the capital region.

The states were ranked according to four primary factors — legal restrictions on women’s working hours in factories, retail, and the IT industry; the responsiveness of the state’s criminal justice system to crimes affecting working women, such as sexual harassment; the number of women workers in the state as a percentage of total workers; and the number of incentives the state’s startup and industrial policies offer women entrepreneurs.

The report said, “The tiny northeastern state of Sikkim is the breakthrough state for women in the workplace, thanks to its high rates of female workforce participation, lack of restrictions on working hours of women, and high conviction rates for workforce crimes against women (albeit on a small sample size).”

Other states in the rankingWhile Sikkim secured the best spot with a clear lead 40 points. The state was followed by Telangana (28.5 points), Puducherry (25.6), Karnataka (24.7), Himachal Pradesh (24.2), Andhra Pradesh (24.0), Kerala (22.2), Maharashtra (21.4), Tamil Nadu (21.1) and Chhattisgarh (21.1).

According to the report, four states — Sikkim, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu — have removed all restrictions on women working at night in factories, retail establishments, and the IT sector.

Maharashtra allows women to work until 10 pm in retail establishments.

Delhi came last in the index of the report as it has relatively low justice and workforce participation scores. The capital has formal restrictions on women working at night in a wide range of sectors. The city also lacks any incentives for female entrepreneurs in its industrial policies.

India has an appalling 24% female workforce participation, the lowest in the world.

Women, not participating in the country’s workforce is a major impediment to the country’s growth. In 2015, a report by the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that India could add 16 per cent to its GDP in ten years if women participated in the workforce at the same rate as men.

Many states have laws limiting women’s working hours, and Indian women face harassment in the workplace, and while commuting, the report said.

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An Army Colonel Is Changing Lives Of Thousand Of People From North-East Using White Bullets

Retiring after spending 32 years in the Indian Army, Col Chris Rego is helping change the destinies of hundreds of children in conflict-affected North East India through his “White Bullets” initiative. With this initiative, he hopes to bring peace and progress to communities across North East India.

Luminouswanted to bring out the Colonel’s story to the world to inspire and motivate others as it believes that education is a strong tool to empower women. It is supporting Col Rego’s cause through an initiative called #Luminaries – the brave people who stand up for causes like girl child education and make a difference in the society.

Col Rego’s journey started over a decade ago in Manipur when a tribal woman knocked on his door pleading for support for her daughter’s education. Touched by the woman’s story, Col Rego and his wife delved into their savings and arranged for the money for the girl’s education. Two years down the line, the woman returned, this time with a small pumpkin and a shawl that she had knitted, and all the money she had borrowed. Moved and realizing that their money could make lives rather than earn paltry interest, Col and Mrs. Rego embarked on a journey to arrange for sponsorship of many more underprivileged children.

Retiring from the Army, Col Rego took over as CEO of Sunbird Trust, a not-for-profit organization which he founded in 2014. The Trust now sponsor over 1,000 children in 21 locations acrossNorth East India. The centre of Sunbird Trust’s activities is at beautiful Ijeirong, Manipur.

Recognizing Col Chris’s immense work, Luminousacknowledged him as their first Luminary. Through this, they hope to bring more power to his elbow in the notable work he is doing. The Luminousteam travelled to remote Ijeirong village and installed solar products. These solar products will help in providing power to the entire campus 24/7 for the very first time.

The Logical Indian salutes Col Christopher Rego for his untiring efforts and leadership. His efforts are already having a cascading effect on people from across India joining the “White Bullets” endeavour. Quite amazingly, education, in itself so empowering, is merely a means to PEACE. We hope the path illuminated by #Luminary Col Rego and his Sunbird Trust team acts as a beacon for others to follow.

If you too have stories of change, share them with us. And if you want to connect with Colonel Rego, click here.